What’s REALLY Holding You Back….?

This is Stella. She’s a 9-month old mastiff, weighing in at just under 130 lbs. My friend Tara got a kick out of this picture, and suggested that I use it as fodder for a blog post titled: “What’s REALLY holding you back??”

In this picture, Gracie (my 8-year-old) wanted to make sure that Stella didn’t run away while we were outside shooting hoops…..so she tied her up. To this orange plastic cone. And Stella? Well….I imagine she thought to herself “Welp…..looks like I can’t go get that stick over there to chew on….I’m all tied up. Guess I’m stuck. Wah-Wah-Wah.”

Have any of you ever had this experience?? It happens to my friends and clients ALL the time – heck, it happens to me, too!

“Welp, can’t go for that promotion now because I screwed up that project that one time. Shoot.”

“Welp, can’t plan that trip to Europe now because I might have to get braces for little Bob, Jr. Dang it.”

“Welp, can’t start building that treehouse for little Daisy now because I’m not sure I have the right tools. Too bad.”

“Welp, can’t apply for that job now because they might not think I’m qualified and I might not get hired. Bummer.”

“Welp, can’t pitch myself to this new lead because they might not like me. That sucks.”

“Welp, can’t sign up for that new dance class I wanted to try because people might judge me. I might suck. I might embarrass myself. Well poo.”

You get the idea:

It’s usually not some immovable and solid brick barrier holding us back…it’s usually something much less tangible (but equally as effective) – our minds!!

Our own belief systems, thought processes, self-judgments, fears and worries keep us stuck right where we are….. And sometimes we’ve tied ourselves up without even realizing it.

So what if…..

What if you applied for that promotion, despite the mistakes you’ve made? Yeah….true….You might not get it. (Newsflash: You definitely won’t get it if you don’t try.)

What if you planned that trip to Europe…you made a budget, you made a plan, and you took little Bob Jr. (braces or no) with you?? Imagine the memories you could create together!

What if you applied for that new job, regardless of what might happen? YOU MIGHT GET IT! And if you didn’t? Well…..you’re right back where you started….no worse off!

WHAT IF you went to that cool new dance class….? What if everyone else was too worried about themselves to notice you? You could LOVE it – Do you really want to miss out on that possibility? You could be the next Janet Jackson (did I just age myself there??)!!! How would you ever know, if you never went??

Because here’s the thing…..I guarantee that if Stella had stood up and started walking, her little cone would have drug along behind her, and eventually fallen off of her leash. She could have gone to lay down on her bed. Or headed over to the park to play with her buddy Jagger. Or she could have walked 10 feet to get that big stick she was DYING to chew on. All she had to do was stand up and take one little step.

Maybe that’s all you have to do, too: Stand up and take that one little step.

And if things didn’t go perfectly? If you failed? Is it possible you’d still be ok? Probably…..

But even better….what if it WORKED? What if you SUCCEEDED? How would THAT feel?